Acoustic apparatus and headphone

ABSTRACT

A headphone section  10  having microphone elements  14 L,  14 R for detecting a sound around the user and signal acoustic transducing elements  15 L,  15 R which function as a sound source for canceling the sound around the user housed in the headphone boxes  13 L,  13 R and a control circuit section  20  that includes a noise canceling headphone together with the headphone section  10  are separately configured. The control circuit section  20  is adjusted in such a manner that variation can be reduced and predetermined frequency characteristics and gain characteristics are achieved at a predetermined frequency. To the headphone section  10 , gain adjusting sections  16 L,  16 R are equipped.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a headphone and acoustic apparatuswhich reduce noise from the surroundings and make it easier to listento, for example, music.

BACKGROUND ART

There is known a so-called noise canceling headphone which can reducenoise of the surroundings by collecting noise around the user by amicrophone with a headphone incorporated into a housing, analyzing thenoise, and outputting a negative phase sound from the signal-audioconverter element (hereinafter called the “driver unit”) of theheadphone.

In this case, as for the noise canceling system, two types areavailable: a feed-forward system and feedback system. FIG. 9 shows aconfiguration of the noise canceling headphone of the feed-forwardsystem, while FIG. 10 shows a configuration of the noise cancelingheadphone of the feedback system.

In the feed-forward system of FIG. 9, the microphone element is arrangedat such a location that a noise around the microphone element iscollected but a sound released from the driver unit 2 is not collected.The electric signal from the microphone element 1 corresponding to thesurrounding noise collected is supplied to the equalizer circuit 3.

This equalizer circuit 3 has a phase and amplitude characteristic, thatis, a frequency characteristic, optimally designed in order to obtain anaudio signal for canceling the surrounding noise inputted. An outputsignal of the equalizer circuit 3 is supplied to an AMP 5 via an addercircuit 4.

This AMP 5 is optimally designed so that the gain of the audio signalfor canceling the sounding noise becomes optimal. The audio signal forcanceling the surrounding noise from the AMP 5 is supplied to the driverunit 2. That is, the driver unit 2 functions as a sound source forcanceling the surrounding noise of the user.

As described above, the sound of a phase negative to that of thesurrounding noise is emitted in the vicinity of user's ears and isacoustically synthesized with the surrounding noise. As a result, thesurrounding noise is canceled and the sound with reduced surroundingnoise is listened to by the user.

In the case such as this, from an audio signal input terminal 6, musicsignals, etc. are supplied, added at the adder circuit 4, and suppliedto the driver unit 2 via the AMP 5, and music is played back. At thistime, the user can comfortably enjoy high-quality music withoutexcessively turning up the volume even if the surrounding noise islarge, because it is canceled and reduced as described above.

Next, in the feedback system of FIG. 10, the microphone element 1collects the synthesized sound between the surrounding noise and thesound emitted from the driver unit 2 near the user's ears. The thefrequency characteristics (phase and amplitude characteristics) of theequalizer circuit 3 are optimally designed in such a way that thesynthesized sound collected by the microphone element 1 becomes below apredetermined level. The gain of AMP 5 is also designed to achieveoptimum canceling effects on the surrounding sound.

In the feedback system, as shown in FIG. 10, the adder circuit 4 ismounted on the input side of the equalizer circuit 3. And the musicsignal, etc. is supplied from the audio signal input terminal 6, addedat the adder circuit 4, and supplied to the driver unit 2 via theequalizer circuit 3 and the AMP 5, and the music is played back. In thisevent, the user can comfortably enjoy the high-quality music withoutexcessively turning up the volume because the surrounding noise iscanceled as described above even if it is noisy.

Because the noise canceling headphone has the above-mentionedadvantages, it is utilized for listening to the music in the aircraftwith engine noises reduced.

However, a conventional noise canceling headphone has a componentelement for noise canceling, which is structured to be integral with aheadphone section in such a way that it is practically inseparable fromthe headphone section. The reason for the integral structure is that thenoise canceling headphone creates the negative phase component of thenoise signal over a broad band exceeding 1 decade and cancels the noisefrom the viewpoint of the operating principle, but because of largevariations of audio characteristics as well as for absorbing thevariations of individual noise canceling component elements, all theelements are integrated into one and comprehensively adjusted andcorrected to maximize the canceling effects.

However, this kind of integral structure has following problems:

-   1) Even when part of the component elements, such as ear pads that    come in contact with the human body, must be replaced for hygienic    reasons, the whole must be replaced;-   2) When part of the component elements is replaced, the whole must    be adjusted again; and-   3) Whether the whole or part is replaced, the maintenance expenses    generated in the case become great.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an acousticapparatus that can clear away the problems as mentioned above.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an acoustic apparatusaccording to the present invention is characterized by comprising; aheadphone section to be mounted on a user head, which has the microphoneelement for detecting sound around the user and a signal acoustictransducing element with a function as a sound source for canceling thesound around the user housed in a headphone box, and is equipped with afirst output terminal for outputting the audio signal collected by themicrophone element and a first input terminal for inputting the audiosignal supplied to the signal acoustic transducing element, and acontrol circuit section independent from the headphone section, equippedwith the second input terminal connected to the first output terminaland the second output terminal connected to the first input terminal,and intended to control at least the frequency characteristics and thegain characteristics of the audio signal from the microphone element ofthe headphone section inputted through the second input terminal, togenerate a signal that can serve as a sound source for canceling thesurrounding sound, and to supply the signal to the signal acoustictransducing element of the headphone section through the second outputterminal.

Because the headphone section and the control circuit section forgenerating the signal for canceling the surrounding sound are formedindependently, even when part of component elements is replaced, thewhole does not need to be replaced. In addition, even if part of theheadphone section or control circuit section is replaced, adjustment isrequired only of the headphone section or control section to which thesaid partial replacement is carried out, and the adjustment operationbecomes easy and the maintenance expenses can be reduced.

The noise canceling headphone and the acoustic apparatus according tothe present invention are characterized in that an adjusting section isprovided for adjusting the volume to be canceled of the surroundingsound in the headphone box.

Even when the headphone section and the control circuit section arecomposed separately, by providing an adjusting section at the headphonesection suitable adjustment can be achieved as a noise cancelingheadphone apparatus.

In addition, the noise canceling headphone and the acoustic apparatusaccording to the present invention are characterized by frequencycharacteristics and gain characteristics of the control circuit sectionbeing adjusted to predetermined levels at a predetermined frequencywithin a range of 50 Hz to 1.5 kHz.

Because adjustments are made in the way that the control circuit sectionitself is nearly free from any variations, even if the two sections areseparate, they can be configured to exhibit the predetermined noisecanceling effects particularly by combinations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration example of oneembodiment of an acoustic apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram describing an essential portion of one embodiment ofan acoustic apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a concrete circuit example of part of theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a concrete circuit example of part of theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a concrete circuit example of part of theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a concrete circuit example of part of theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a diagram describing an essential portion of anotherembodiment of the acoustic apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the overall configuration example of furtheranother embodiment of the acoustic apparatus according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing a noise canceling headphone of afeed-forward system.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing a noise canceling headphone of afeedback system.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the acoustic apparatus according to thepresent invention will be described in detail by referring now toaccompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an acoustic apparatus of the present embodimentcomprises a headphone section 10 and a control circuit section 20. Asillustrated, the headphone section 10 and the control circuit section 20are separately provided, and the headphone section 10 is equipped with astereo plug 11 as a right and left audio signal output terminal (firstoutput terminal) and a stereo plug 12 as a right and left audio signalinput terminal (first input terminal), and the control circuit section20 is equipped with a jack 21 as a right and left audio signal inputterminal (second input terminal) and a jack 22 as a right and left audiosignal output terminal (second output terminal) on the side section ofthe box 23. Inserting the plugs 11, 12 of the headphone section 10 intothe jacks 21, 22 of the control circuit section 20 connects theheadphone section 10 to the control circuit section 20, and achieves aconfiguration of the noise canceling headphone later described.

Inside each of the headphone boxes 13L, 13R for right and left ears ofthe headphone section 10, microphone elements 14L, 14R, driver units15L, 15R, and gain adjusting sections 16L, 16R are equipped. And theoutput terminal of microphone elements 14L, 14R are connected to thestereo plug 11 as right and left audio signal output terminals via gainadjusting sections 16L, 16R. The stereo plug 12 as the right and leftaudio signal input terminal is connected to the driver units 15L, 15R,respectively.

By the way, the headphone boxes 13L, 13R for right and left ears areconnected by a belt 17 composed with the elastic material. As for theparts in contact with the user's ears of the headphone box, ear pads18L, 18R with cushioning material are equipped. And by the belt 17, theheadphone section 10 is able to be mounted to the user head. This ishardly different from general headphones.

The control circuit 20 comprises an equalizer circuit 24, adder circuit25, and AMP 26, and in the present embodiment, when it is connected tothe headphone section 10, a feed-forward system noise-canceling circuitis configured.

To the control circuit section 20, a recording/playback device section27 is equipped, and the audio signal inputted from the jack 21 issupplied to this recording/playback device section 27 as a recordingsignal and at the same time, a playback audio signal from thisrecording/playback device section 27 is supplied to the adder circuit25. This recording/playback device section 27 may be configured invarious ways, such as those with, for example, an optical disk orphoto-electro-magnetic disk used for a recording medium, or with amagnetic tape.

That is, in the present embodiment, the control circuit section 20 isconfigured in such a manner as to have the equalizer element and the AMPelement for the noise canceling headphone device incorporated in aportable type recording/playback device with, for example, the magnetictape or photo-electro-magnetic disc used for the recording medium.

And as described above, the equalizer circuit 24 has the phase andamplitude characteristics, that is, frequency characteristics, optimallydesigned in order to obtain the audio signal for canceling the soundaround the user of the headphone section 10 in the control circuitsection 20. In addition, the AMP 26 is optimally designed so that thegain of the audio signal for canceling the sound around the user becomesoptimum. The AMP 26 has a configuration that enables gain adjustment bysemi-fixed resistors, etc.

Furthermore, as described above, in order to absorb the variations ofcomponent elements when the noise canceling headphone is divided intothe headphone section 10 and the control circuit section 20, thefollowing points are taken into account in the present embodiment.

-   1) In the case of the present embodiment, as described above, the    frequency characteristics of the control circuit section 20 is    optimized in order to effectively cancel the surrounding sound, and    parts with +5% or +2% tolerances are used for the control circuit    section 20 so that the variations of characteristics of the control    circuit section 20 become minimum.-   2) As shown in FIG. 2, the overall gain errors of the equalizer    circuit 24 to AMP 26 of the control circuit section 20 are adjusted    to be within ±0.2 dB at the position of 300 Hz of the frequency in    this example. This adjusted frequency is an example, and a    predetermined frequency is chosen between 50 Hz and 1.5 kHz, and    preferably between 100 Hz and 1 kHz. This is a band in which noise    cancellation is effectively carried out.-   3) To jacks 21, 22 of the control circuit section 20 after    adjustments, plugs 11, 12 of the headphone section 10 are inserted    and connected to connect the headphone section 10 to the control    circuit section 20, and, for example, semi-fixed resistors of    adjusting sections 16L, 16R of the headphone section 10 are adjusted    to vary gains and are set to a condition in which the volume to be    canceled is maximized.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in the control circuitsection 20, the absolute error of component parts is controlled to be assmall as possible, and the error at the headphone section 10 is adjustedone by one by the adjustment elements incorporated into this headphonesection, and even when the noise canceling headphone is separated intothe headphone section 10 and the control circuit section 20, an acousticapparatus that is nearly free from variations and that can providesatisfactory canceling effects of surrounding sound is able to becomprehensively achieved.

That is, under the condition in which the headphone section 10 isconnected to the control circuit section 20, the audio signalcorresponding to the surrounding sound collected by microphone elements14L, 14R is inputted into the equalizer circuit 24 of the controlcircuit section 20 through the adjusting sections 16L, 16R, and iscontrolled in such a manner that the phase and amplitude characteristicsbecome optimum as the audio signal for canceling the surrounding sound.And the output signal of this equalizer circuit 24 is supplied to theAMP 26 through the adder circuit 25, and is made into the optimum gainas an audio signal for canceling the surrounding sound.

The audio signal from the AMP 26 for canceling the sound around theabove-described user is supplied to driver units 15L, 15R of theheadphone section 10. That is, the driver units 15L, 15R function assound sources for canceling the sound around the user.

In this way, the sound of a negative phase to that of the surroundingsis emitted near the ear (eardrum) of the user, and this is acousticallysynthesized with surrounding sound. As a result, the surrounding soundis canceled, and the user is able to hear the sound with surroundingsound reduced.

In this case, music signals, etc. are supplied from therecording/playback device section 27, added at the adder circuit 25, andsupplied to the driver units 15L, 15R through the AMP 26, and music isplayed back. The playback sound the user hear in this case is a clearplayback sound with surrounding noise alleviated.

In the present embodiment, so-called binaural recording with superbpresence becomes possible with the recording/playback device section 27.That is, microphone elements 14L, 14R are mounted to headphone boxes13L, 13R, and are able to collect sounds extremely close to those theuser hears by its ears. Consequently, recording and playing back thesound collected with the microphone elements 14L, 14R by therecording/playback device section 27 enables the playback of the soundextremely close to the sound the user hears by its ears, and theplayback sound with superb presence is able to be obtained.

The reason why this kind of binaural recording is made possible is thatthe headphone section 10 and the control circuit section 20 are madeindependent, and the stereo plug 11 is equipped as an output terminal ofthe audio signal of the sound collected by the microphone elements 14L,14R.

In the present embodiment, it becomes possible to simultaneously monitorthe audio signal from the microphone elements 14L, 14R at the driverunits 15L, 15R while it is being recorded at the recording/playbackdevice section 27.

Next description will be made of specific configuration examples ofvarying gains at adjusting sections 16L, 16R.

The example of FIG. 3 is the case of the adjusting section 16L, in whichthe audio signal obtained by acoustic-electric signal conversion at themicrophone element 14L is amplified at the FET AMP 31 and taken out, anda semi-fixed resistor 32 is installed in series to this audio signal. Byadjusting the resistance value of the semi-fixed resistor 32, gains areadjusted.

The example of FIG. 4 is similarly the case of the adjusting section16L, in which a capacitor 33 and a semi-fixed resistor 34 are connectedbetween drain and source of the FET AMP 31. In the case of this example,too, by adjusting the resistance of the semi-fixed resistor 34, gainsare adjusted.

The gain adjusting section is able to be installed on the driver unit15L, 15R side. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show configuration examples in such acase, and examples of driver unit 15L side.

That is, FIG. 5 shows a series type and FIG. 6 a parallel type. That is,in the example of FIG. 5, a semi-fixed resistor 35 is connected inseries to the driving coil of the diaphragm of the driver unit 15L. Inthe example of FIG. 6, the resistance connected in parallel to thedriving coil of the diaphragm of the driver unit 15L is configured insuch a manner as to be adjusted by the semi-fixed resistor 36.

Examples of the adjusting section of FIG. 3 through FIG. 6 are allconfigured to adjust gains for every headphone section 10 by the use ofthe semi-fixed resistor at the time of manufacture, but it is allowed toconfigure to enable the user to carry out further adjustment at the timeof use.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the headphone box 13L part onthe right ear side of the headphone section in that case. Asillustrated, in the case of this example, to the headphone box 13L, anadjusting knob 40 of the adjusting section which the user can operateand adjust is installed.

And in the case of this example, semi-fixed resistors 32, 34, 35, 36 ofFIG. 3 through FIG. 6 are recommended to have a configuration to dividethe semi-fixed resistor part and a variable resistor part which can beadjusted with the adjusting knob 40. That is, the degree that canachieve the predetermined surrounding noise canceling effects is securedby adjusting the semi-fixed resistor part. And by the adjustment by theuser using the adjusting knob 40, the canceling effects are furtherimproved. In the case of this example, the adjustable range by the useris narrow, but even if this is not adjusted, the predetermined noisecanceling effects are able to be achieved by the adjustment by thesemi-fixed resistor.

In other words, adjusting the semi-fixed resistor can achieve adjustmentto the degree in which a certain satisfactory level of canceling effectsare obtained, but variations of canceling performance associated withinherent attributes such as the profile of user auricle is unable to becompensated for. However, according to this example, the variationportion which is unable to be compensated for is able to be collected bythe user operating and adjusting the adjusting knob 40.

As described above, since in the above-mentioned embodiment, theheadphone section 10 and the control circuit section 20 are able to beseparated, following various advantages are able to be achieved.

The reliability of the headphone section 10 is improved. In other words,the failure rate is expected to lower. Even when one-to-pluralitycombination is carried out, in which one piece of control circuitsection 20 is combined with plural numbers of headphone sections 10,satisfactory cancellation effects as required are able to be obtained.

The cost of the headphone section 10 is able to be minimized, and thereplacement cost is able to be reduced at the time of replacing theheadphone section due to breakage, etc.

A signal output of the microphone element is able to be utilized andbinaural recording is easily achieved. In addition, simultaneousmonitoring while the signal output of the microphone element is beingrecorded is possible.

By enabling the user to adjust and operate the whole or a part of theadjusting section of the headphone section with an adjusting knob, thevolume to be canceled is able to be varied, and the user is able toadjust to the optimum cancel point.

The above-mentioned examples are cases in which the control circuitsection 20 is a recording/playback device, but needless to say, thecontrol circuit section 20 may have a configuration wherein a device isequipped with an equalizer element for the noise canceling headphone andAMP element without possess the recording/playback functions. The devicenot equipped with the recording/playback functions is useful as a deviceused, for example, in a cabin of an aircraft. In the case of deviceconfiguration for the aircraft cabin, to the adder circuit 25 of thecontrol circuit section 20, audio sources such as music programsprepared in advance are supplied.

The control circuit section 20 may have a configuration of a remotecontroller of a portable type recording/playback device. FIG. 8 showsthe external configuration diagram in that case.

That is, in the example of FIG. 8, plugs 11 and 12 of the headphonesection 10 are connected to jacks installed in the remote controller 50,respectively. Inside the remote controller 50, the equalizer circuit 24,adder circuit 25, and circuit part of AMP 26 of the control circuitsection 20 in FIG. 1 are mounted, and in the case of this example, aconfiguration of a noise canceling headphone device is realized by theheadphone section 10 and the remote controller 50.

And this remote controller 50 is equipped with a plug 51 plurallyconnected to the remote control terminal and headphone terminal of therecording/playback device 60 in order to provide functions for remotelycontrolling the recording/playback device 60 as well as functions toreceive playback signals from the recording/playback device 60 andsupply them to the adder circuit 25.

In addition, the remote controller 50 of this example is equipped with aplug 52 for being inserted into a jack as an audio signal input terminalof the recording/playback device 60, and has a function to supply audiosignals from microphone elements 14L, 14R of the headphone section 10 tothe audio signal input terminal of the recording/playback device 60.With these functions, in the recording/playback device 60, binauralrecording becomes possible, and simultaneous monitoring in that case isalso possible.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, description is made of thefeed-forward system for the noise canceling system, but in the presentinvention, it is needless to say that the same configuration is able tobe achieved whether the feedback system is used for the noise cancelingsystem or digital system noise canceling system is used.

POSSIBILITY FOR INDUSTRIAL USE

This device is applied to the so-called noise canceling headphone forcollecting noise around the user by the microphone with a headphonebuilt into a box, analyzing the noise, outputting the sound of anegative phase to the noise, and reducing the surrounding noise. In thiscase, the noise canceling headphone is utilized in the aircraft forlistening to music with engine noise reduced.

1. An acoustic apparatus comprising: a headphone section mounted on auser's head having first and second headphone boxes arrangedrespectively on the ears of the user and having first and secondmicrophone elements mounted respectively on the first and secondheadphone boxes for detecting sound around the user and signal acoustictransducing elements mounted respectively in the first and secondheadphone boxes functioning as sound sources with first output terminalsfor outputting microphone audio signals collected by the first andsecond microphone elements and first input terminals for inputting audiosignals supplied to the first and second signal acoustic transducingelements; and a control circuit section separate and independent fromthe headphone section and having second input terminals connected to thefirst output terminals and second output terminals connected to thefirst input terminals for controlling at least frequency characteristicsand gain characteristics of the microphone audio signals from the firstand second microphone elements of the headphone section input throughthe second input terminals, for generating a cancel audio signal forcanceling effects of the sound around the user in the signals fed to thefirst and second signal acoustic transducing elements, and for supplyingthe cancel audio signal to the first and second signal acoustictransducing elements of the headphone section through the second outputterminals, whereby ambient sound around the user is cancelled in a rangeof 50 Hz to 1.5 kHz, said control circuit section further includingrecording means for recording the microphone audio signals output fromthe first and second microphone elements as binaural audio signals. 2.The acoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitsection further comprises: means for adding different audio signals tothe cancel audio signal using a signal audio converter element.
 3. Theacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitsection further comprises: means for adding different audio signals tothe cancel audio signal using a signal audio converter element as asound source; and a remote control configured to supply remote-controlsignals for remotely controlling output of the different audio signals.4. An acoustic apparatus comprising: a headphone section mounted on auser's head, having first and second headphone boxes arrangedrespectively on the ears of the user, first and second microphoneelements mounted on the first and second headphone boxes for detectingsound around the user first and second signal acoustic transducingelements arranged in the first and second headphone boxes functioning assound sources, first output terminals, an adjusting section foradjusting outputs of microphone audio signals collected by the first andsecond microphone elements, and first input terminals for inputting acancel audio signal supplied to the first and second signal acoustictransducing elements, and a control circuit section arranged in ahousing separate and independent from the headphone section and having asecond input terminals connected to the first output terminals andsecond output terminals connected to the first input terminals forcontrolling at least frequency characteristics and gain characteristicsof the microphone audio signals from the first and second microphoneelements of the headphone section input through the second inputterminals, for generating the cancel audio signal that can serve as asound source for canceling effects of the sound around the user, and forsupplying the cancel audio signal to the first and second signalacoustic transducing elements of the headphone section through thesecond output terminals, whereby ambient sound around the user iscancelled in a range of 5 Hz to 1.5 kHz, said housing also havingarranged therein recording means for recording the microphone audiosignals from the first and second microphone elements as binauralsignals.
 5. The acoustic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein anamplifier section is included in each first and second headphone boxbehind the adjusting section for amplifying the microphone audio signalsfrom the first and second microphone elements and for adjusting themicrophone audio signals from the first and second microphone elements,where gains are controlled by amplifying the microphone audio signals.6. The acoustic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an amplifiersection for generating signals serving as a sound source for cancelingthe sound around the user and adjusting means for adjusting an outputlevel of the amplifier section are provided in each first and secondheadphone box, and gains of the cancel audio first and second signalinput to the signal acoustic transducing elements are controlled.
 7. Theacoustic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an adjusting sectionadjusts the microphone audio signals from the first and secondmicrophone elements that serve as sound sources for canceling theeffects of the sound around the user and adjusts the microphone audiosignals from the first and second microphone elements in the first andsecond headphone boxes, said adjusting means having operating meansoperable by the user from outside the first and second headphone boxes,and an amplifier section for amplifying the microphone audio signalsadjusted at the adjusting section.
 8. An acoustic apparatus comprising:a recording/playback device; a headphone section mounted on a user'shead, having first and second headphone boxes arranged respectively onthe ears of the user and having first and second microphone elements fordetecting sound around the user and first and second signal acoustictransducing elements functioning as sound sources with first outputterminals for outputting microphone audio signals collected by the firstand second microphone elements and first input terminals for inputting acancel audio signal supplied to the first and second signal acoustictransducing elements; and a remote control connected to saidrecording/playback device for controlling operation of saidrecording/playback device and feeding the microphone audio signals tothe recording/playback device for recording as binaural signals, saidremote controller being separate and independent from the headphonesection and including a control section having second input terminalsconnected to the first output terminals and second output terminalsconnected to the first input terminals for controlling at leastfrequency characteristics and gain characteristics of the microphoneaudio signals from the first and second microphone elements of theheadphone section input through the second input terminals, with saidfrequency characteristics and gain characteristics being adjusted toachieve a predetermined level at a predetermined frequency between 50 Hzand 1.5 kHz, for generating the cancel audio signal that can cancel theambient sound around the user within a range of 50 Hz to 1.5 kHz, andfor supplying the cancel audio signal to the first and second signalacoustic transducing elements of the headphone section through thesecond output terminals.
 9. An acoustic apparatus comprising: aheadphone section mounted on a user head, having a microphone elementsmounted on the first and second headphone boxes for detecting soundaround the user and first and second signal acoustic transducing elementfunctioning as sound sources with first output terminals for outputtingmicrophone audio signals collected by the first and second microphoneelements and first input terminals for inputting a cancel audio signalsupplied to the first and second signal acoustic transducing elements; acontrol circuit section arranged in a housing separate and independentfrom the headphone section and having second input terminals connectedto the first output terminals and a second output terminals connected tothe first input terminal for controlling at least frequencycharacteristics and gain characteristics of the microphone audio signalsfrom the first and second microphone elements of the headphone sectioninput through the second input terminals, for generating the cancelaudio signal for canceling the effects of the ambient sound around theuser within a range of 50 Hz to 1.5 kHz, and for supplying the cancelaudio signal to the first and second signal acoustic transducingelements of the headphone section through the second output terminals,and a recording/playback device arranged in the housing for recordingthe microphone audio signals from the first and second microphoneelements as binaural audio signals; and a circuit configuration forcanceling the surrounding sound used by the control circuit section thatis of a feed-forward system.
 10. An acoustic apparatus comprising: arecording/playback device; a headphone section mounted on a user's head,having first and second headphone boxes arranged on respective ears ofthe user and having first and second microphone elements arrangedrespectively on the first and second headphone boxes for detecting soundaround the user and first and second signal acoustic transducingelements functioning as sound sources housed in first and secondheadphone boxes, respectively, with first output terminals foroutputting microphone audio signals collected by the first and secondmicrophone elements and first input terminals for inputting a cancelaudio signal supplied to the first and second signal acoustictransducing elements for canceling effects of ambient sound around theuser within a range of 50 Hz to 1.5 kHz; a remote controller connectedto said recording/playback device for controlling operation of saidrecording/playback device and feeding the microphone audio signals tothe recording/playback device for recording as binaural audio signals,said remote controller being separate and independent from the headphonesection and including a control circuit section having second inputterminals connected to the first output terminals and second outputterminals connected to the first input terminals for controlling atleast frequency characteristics and gain characteristics of themicrophone audio signals from the first and second microphone elementsof the headphone section input through the second input terminals, forgenerating the cancel audio signal for canceling effects of the soundaround the user, and for supplying the cancel audio signal to the firstand second signal acoustic transducing elements of the headphone sectionthrough the second output terminals; and a circuit configuration forcanceling the effects of the sound surrounding the user used by thecontrol circuit section that is of a feedback system.